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Square Enix Debuts All the Bravest

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After listening to my boyfriend rant about how this isn't even a game, I highly recommend everyone stay faaaar far away from this "game." And if anyone is STILL thinking of buying it, you need to watch IGN's "mini review." Actually, watch it even if you aren't considering buying it because it's hilarious (especially around 1:50).

Well, at this point the market is bigger on IOS, so you can't really blame them.

But what market? Who is SE trying to appeal to, exactly? The iOS market consists of casual-casuals who may whip out their smartphone every now and then to play a game of Angry Birds or Cut the Rope or Temple Run because they have a couple minutes to spare. I can guarantee these people care little about "Final Fantasy." Pulling all these resources into the mobile gaming market is just upsetting fans who are slowly turning away from the company they once loved, fans that are ready and willing to buy games like Dimensions on PSN or XBLA or eShop or WiiWare. I guarantee SE would be getting more sales by releasing their games on consoles dedicated to gaming and gamers. Where's the console based traditional turnbased Final Fantasy fans been clamoring for since Final Fantasy X? And when they do release a title worthy of playing, it's an overpriced DLC ridden cash grab or port that plays better on the device it's ported from. Chaos Rings was great, sure, but it's a rare breed.

But this? This has made me lose all respect for SE. They've finally reached Capcom levels. To hype this so much to Final Fantasy fans just to reveal it as an overly casual cash grab is a slap in the face of everybody who's been playing FF since their childhood. Before anyone thought they could stoop so low, they now have $35 worth of randomized DLC, all of which is little more than a sprite from old FFs that does exactly what all the other characters do. Could they make it worse? Of course! Why not force the player to spend another dollar when they die in battle, or wait 3 hours to actually play the game you bought (oh, did I forget to mention the game is $4 out of the gate?) People complained about Theatrhythm (for justifiable reasons), but it pales in comparison. Sure the songs cost more than on the 3DS combined, but you could pick and choose what you want (much like a CD as opposed to individual tracks), and you weren't forced to purchase "Music Notes" with real money just to play more than one song in succession.

As for the game itself.. watch gameplay footage and rub your monitor. There, you played All The Bravest. That's pretty much all the game is. Classes are pointless.. Warrior, Dragoon, White Mage, whoever, they all attack and attack and attack. That's it. No strategy beyond clicking the paid for hourglasses when your party dies.

After listening to my boyfriend rant about how this isn't even a game, I highly recommend everyone stay faaaar far away from this "game." And if anyone is STILL thinking of buying it, you need to watch IGN's "mini review." Actually, watch it even if you aren't considering buying it because it's hilarious (especially around 1:50).

I was going to post IGN's video too so instead I'll just quote you for emphasis. This looks like the stupidest thing ever and having to wait 90 minutes to play again BECAUSE WE WANT YOUR MONEY! is so f*cking retarded.

iOS is easier to develop for. The Apple devices are different, but not by much.
You test to see how much processing power your app needs, and that's it. 2x mode and black bar mode means your app will work on iPad and iPhone 5. More complicated methods are there for developers willing to put in the effort to adapt to the other screen sizes.

Then Android - every phone a different screen size and a different processor. You need versions for Samsung Galaxy users, versions for Nokia Lumia users, versions for LG Optimus users, versions for Google Nexus users, versions for HTC Droid users. Generally one application will work across a maker's line (just like Apple). But you need more apps total. If you can catch 35% of users with one app (the Apple users), you develop the one app before you develop others.

This is also why few apps have iPhone 5 support - not many users have iPhone 5's and only those users can benefit from this feature.

I think part of the problem for Android is also how crappy the app store is to find games in because of how they are categorized. Unless it is a sports game, a racing game, a card game, or a "casual" game it is thrown into the "Arcade and Action" section. This includes everything from call of duty and mass effect to final fantasy games to simulation/strategy games. I really hate the android app store.

I will just note that my posting of this news bulletin in no way implies support for this game or its sales mechanisms. I post a lot of news about games I'm not interested in or actively dislike (hi 3rd Birthday). On the personal side of things, I neither own an Apple device nor do I buy IAP-heavy games on any gaming device I own. We do have a staff member or two who admit to enjoying this game, but I'll let them speak for themselves if they wish to do so.

I don't believe SE cares about reputation or respect anymore. I mean, on a purely business sense, why wouldn't have they made this "game"? It probably took a whole of one week to make what with all graphics and music being recycled, and just the title itself is enough for some people to buy it.

This falls to the same category of those "game picture gallery" apps - you basically pay money to look at pictures that you can view for free online. Absurd, I know, but some people buy them. And as they say, he's not dumb who sells but he who buys.

You say, "if you can't beat 'em, join em," and I agree with that. I think I might be able to learn the skills needed to design and build a cash-in game, but there's no way I could ever learn the skills needed to market it.

Love this.... so very true. I miss the days when I would buy everything Square put out because it was all good and worth playing. Now? They don't port out what I want to play (FF Typo 0, Bravely Default) and do give us...... this sh*t?

I am not wild about iOS games, would rather play on a proper platform, but did enjoy FF Dimensions. But this.... this..... ugh.

It's more like what you'd get if you aborted a whole load of good games, then mixed all the resultant pulp together into some kind of sludge.

Nah, visually it's actually pretty fun to watch. If I didn't already know it wasn't a real game I would probably want to play it. Of course the "game" version of this already exists, and was called Ogre Battle.

Anyway, this lead game designer, Kyohei Suzuki, seems to be a new employee because I can't find many credits on him. Tatsuya Kando is better known as the director of TWEWY. Ichiro Hazama's first role as producer was on Theatrhythm.

Square Enix also handled the audio internally. However, it seems a studio called BitGroove was hired to do the programming and graphics. It's evident from their works list that they specialize in mobile gaming and applications.

KANDA! GIVE US TWEWY2! THE FANS DEMAND IT! And well...it would probably sell well if you made it as good as the first one.

Seconded. TWEWY is one of the best games from S/E in recent years. But a good sequel needs to be a love-letter to the fans of the original, not an attempt to monetize existing IP while growing the audience by increasing accessibility (which is what I'm coming to expect from S/E).

Only the livin' have the privilege of sayin' they'll fight ta the last breath.
And words like conviction and resolve don't mean much to a dead man...

not an attempt to monetize existing IP while growing the audience by increasing accessibility (which is what I'm coming to expect from S/E).

Are we talking about Solo Remix now?

At least I hear the battle system seems poorer for those who have played the original. (I haven't actually played it myself.)

But back to FF:ATB:- I guess I could imagine where they were trying to go with this; a themed puzzle game with a pay-to-win scheme could appeal to quite a few people.

But if so, they should have been more subtle with those costs and/or made them more optional. (Again I haven't played this either, so I might be mistaken here.)
E.g. A shop where (unrealistic amounts of) in-game currency buys the characters/etc, while real-life cash is a devious shortcut to that currency.

The other issue sounds like a lack of strategy (excluding the grinding?), which any decent puzzle game needs to be any fun.